Slova
Schadenfreude is pronounced SHAH-dun-froy-duh, with four syllables and the stress on the first. The sch is sh, the a is ah, and the eu is oy, as in boy. American and British English agree.
schadenfreude
noun · pleasure that you feel when something bad happens to another person
IPA checked in the Cambridge Dictionary and Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries. The recording is American English.
Each sound in the IPA, with a word you already know that has it.
USUK American and British English/ˈʃɑː.dənˌfrɔɪ.də/
SHAHstressed
dun
froy
duh
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Tip. Start with SHAH, not SHAD. The eu is oy, as in boy: SHAH-dun-froy-duh.
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schadenfreude
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What people often say instead, and how to fix it. Say SHAH-dun-froy-duh.
NotSHAY-dun-frood
Reading a as in day and eu as oo. The vowels are ah and oy.
NotSHAD-un-froyd
Making the first vowel short and dropping the last syllable. Use ah and end with duh.
Notshah-dun-FROY-duh
Stressing the third syllable. The stress is on the first.
Hear each one, slow it down, then say it. Words change a little when they join others, so practise them in sentences too.
He felt a little schadenfreude when his rival lost.
Schadenfreude is not a nice feeling.
There was some schadenfreude in the room.
Schadenfreude is a German word, so the German rules apply. The sch is sh, the first a is a long ah, and the eu in the last part is oy, as in boy.
The word is two German words joined: Schaden, damage or harm, and Freude, joy. It means joy at someone else's bad luck. It became common in English in the late 20th century.
The most common mistakes are saying the first vowel short, SHAD, and reading eu as oo, as in Freud. The name Freud is also said FROYD, so the same eu sound is in both. Stress the first syllable and end with a light duh.
Rhymes and words that share its tricky sound. Open any of them in the checker and say it.
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